Cameroon – Cornchaff

By Verdzekov Bernard

Cornchaff is a meal that is eating in Cameroon. Cornchaff is a mixture of beans and corn. This mixture of beans and corn is what gives the name cornchaff. Normally, the process of cooking cornchaff is very similar to cooking beans. Cornchaff unlike beans is also a heavy dish. The meal is best prepared with palm oil and not vegetable oil. It is easy to prepare and though takes times, it is worth it after cooking process is finish. The dish is a delicious one and could be best accompanied with bread or fried ripe plantains.

Ingredient

• 10 cups of beans
• 10 cups of corn
• 4 cups palm oil or vegetable oil
• 2 inches of ginger
• 8 cloves of garlics
• 1 large bulb of onion
• 5 to 7 Tomatoes (optional)
• Salt to taste
• 4-6 cups of maggi
• Leeks
• Pepper.
• 2 cups of ground Cray fish

Procedure

• Select the beans seeds, separating the bad once from the good once.
• Soak beans and corn overnight in water.
• Remove beans with corn and drain and put in a pot and boil. Beans and corn should be boiled half-done, after which you remove and keep aside. But this will take approximately half an hour. While it is on the fire start preparing spices.
• Blend ginger, garlics and leeks and keep aside. Slice your onions and keep.
• NOTE: Make sure the water in the pot exceeds the beans and corn in the pot.
• After half an hour, taste to make sure beans is half done and not totally ready. The taste for half-done is simple. When you taste beans and it is semi hard and soft, that means it is half done. You won’t necessarily taste by eating the beans and corn
• When it is half done, remove and drain well. After you drain, wash beans and corn again with fresh clean water. Do this about twice. This is just to make sure the beans seed are cleaned well before you proceed to further cooking.
• Clean the pot you used for boiling or use another pot.
• After cleaning the pot, turn corn and beans into the cooking pot. Put in your blended spices and onions. Pour in palm oil and crayfish, then cover pot. After about 10min open pot and steer well. put in maggi and salt to taste and steer. Close pot and leave it for 30min. Open and add about 5cups of water after observing the beans is dry.
• Close and leave it for 30min. Check if ready, then serve.

The process of cooking cornchaff could take at most 2hr and at list 1hr 30min.

Serve

Note: The process of soaking is optional. This process of soaking is just to help economize time and fuel wood or gas. You may boil beans directly without soaking it. But this will take more time to get ready and also more cooking or fuel wood. So, it is your choice to make. Thank you.